


The Summer We Fell in Love

by ichigokenma



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, No Spoilers Past S1, They Are So Oblivious Dear Lord, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:09:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27479341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ichigokenma/pseuds/ichigokenma
Summary: Maybe it was the way Tsukishima always let Yamaguchi fall asleep on his shoulder on the bus back from games, or the way he never gave compliments to anyone but him, or how he would share his food during lunch. Maybe it was just because of the way Tsukishima smiled at him that made him melt into a puddle on the ground. But he was certain that he liked him as more than just the friend he was. He liked him a lot more. The hard part wasn’t realizing that he’s maybe fallen in love with his best friend, it was figuring out how to tell him that.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	1. Cicadas

Maybe it was the way Tsukishima always let Yamaguchi fall asleep on his shoulder on the bus back from games, or the way he never gave compliments to anyone but him, or how he would share his food during lunch. Maybe it was just because of the way Tsukishima smiled at him that made him melt into a puddle on the ground. But he was certain that he liked him as more than just the friend he was. He liked him a lot more. The hard part wasn’t realizing that he’s maybe fallen in love with his best friend, it was figuring out how to tell him that.   
“It’s warm out.” Tsukishima stated bluntly, the way he always did, like he didn’t want to waste energy by adding emotion to his words.   
“Yeah, it’s nice isn’t it?” Yamaguchi’s hands held him up off the grass, basking in the warmth of the summer sun, the occasional breeze swept through his hair with abandon. The cicadas were ringing through the air, the tell tale sign that it was finally summer. The sun was barely starting to set, yet still fairly high in the sky, creating the perfect summer evening. The faint sound of volleyballs hitting hardwood floor echoed from the gym at the bottom of the hill behind them, along with the abrupt yet muted screeching from Hinata and Kageyama practicing. Everyone else had cleared out for the day to get home for dinner, leaving only the first years still on campus. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had decided to sit on the grass for awhile before walking home. This is how they often spent their summer evenings since it was still so nice out.   
Yamaguchi moved ever so slightly closer to Tsukishima, hoping he wouldn’t notice, or be uncomfortable with it, not even glancing at him. He noticed. Tsukishima couldn’t help the corner of his mouth curl upwards the smallest amount either, he turned to face the overlook of Miyagi, not saying anything to the freckled boy next to him. They stayed like this for what must have been an hour, Yamaguchi occasionally asking Tsukishima questions that seemed arbitrary, but he loved the sound of his voice, and each time he answered was precious to him. Sometimes, Tsukishima would actually say the words that floated around his brain, without Yamaguchi having to ask him anything, it was usually some fact about a dinosaur.   
“...that’s why I like the ankylosaur so much, it had the perfect defense…” Yamaguchi just stared at Tsukishima, into his eyes, loving when he talked about something he was passionate about, he often forgot to mask just how much he enjoyed studying his face. He loved how the sun reflected in his glasses, how he would let the smallest smile creep over his face when he rambled, as he didn’t often just talk. Certainly not when anyone but Yamaguchi was around.   
Tsukishima always kept his emotional distance with people, never wanting to get close to them, or let them know what he was really thinking, he always kept to himself. He was the stoic one. The one with the snarky comments escaping under his breath. As far as Yamaguchi knew, he was the only one who _really_ knew him. He knew the nerd who spent his time reading National Geographic, specifically the articles about paleontology. The one who actually spent time practicing volleyball. Everyone knew Tsukishima, but only he knew Tsukki.   
Tsukishima stood up from the grass and looked down to Yamaguchi, outstretching his slender hand to him. The halo of orange sunlight behind him made him look celestial. He grabbed the taller boy’s hand and brought himself to his feet with the leverage. Tsukishima only nodded his head in the direction of their walk home, encouraging him to follow. They never said much on the way home, but the company in and of itself was nice. Just having Tsukishima walk next to him made him feel safe, just like he did the day they met. Their synchronized footsteps were the only sound that could be heard beside the low hum of cicadas, or the stray cat wandering in the alley beside the Sakanoshita store. The sun still hadn’t set by the time they had reached the point of their walk where they parted ways to go to their respective houses.   
“See you tomorrow” Yamaguchi waved to Tsukishima, who only nodded with a slight smile in return, before putting on his headphones that were previously just sitting around his neck.   
Yamaguchi dropped his school bag by his dresser and let himself flop onto his bed. He stared at his ceiling, the only sound that filled his room was the air conditioning unit on his wall. He turned his head to the digital alarm clock beside his desk that read 20:24. He hadn’t realized just how long him and Tsukki had been sitting on that grassy hill, talking, enjoying each other’s company. Just the thought of them spending time together like that made him smile, he felt the heat rising to his cheeks. He covered his eyes with his forearm, embarrassed, even though no one could see him, and no one could possibly know how much he wanted to kiss his best friend. _How his lips would feel against his own. How Tsukishima’s large hand would feel holding his face, or how Tsukishima’s blond hair would feel between his fingers._ He wanted nothing more than to know those things. To know how it would feel to be his. To be loved by him.   
\-------------------------------------   
Tsukishima unlocked the front door to his house before stepping inside and locking it once more. He took off his shoes and made his way to the kitchen. There was a note on the table. _‘Mom’s going to be home late, there’s some leftover curry in the fridge, I’m heading out for the night, be home tomorrow. - Akiteru’_ His brother often left the house later in the day, so this was a normal situation for him to be home alone. Tsukishima grabbed the container of curry from the fridge and warmed it up in the microwave. He opened the rice cooker on the corner of the counter and scoped some onto his plate, pouring the steaming curry, once it was done heating up, beside it.  
He made his way to his room after finishing his dinner, making sure to grab his school and gym bag he left by the door. He looked at the two magazines on his desk, this month’s National Geographic, and the Volleyball Weekly. He sat on his bed, leaning against the wall, opening the National Geographic, skimming through the articles. When none interested him, he set it down on his nightstand, and plucked the chain to his lamp, letting his room go dark. He opened his phone to his text messages, quickly finding Yamaguchi’s contact. He thought about just texting him, so he didn’t feel so alone, but he couldn’t find the words. Yamaguchi was always the one who started conversations, he didn’t mind just listening to his voice. He found it soothing, like it should be the only sound in the world. He loved hearing him just talk about his day, he loved him. Tsukishima turned on his side in his bed, shoving his face further into his pillow, wishing he knew how to tell him how he really felt. He wanted to be with him.  
He stared at the glowing screen, reading their texts, feeling every emotion all over again. He scrolled up far enough to the photo Yamaguchi had taken of the two of them in Tokyo together when they played Nekoma during the training camp. Yamaguchi had his tongue out and his arm was around Tsukishima’s neck, his fingers outstretched into a peace sign. His own face was barely smiling, but his cheeks were slightly flushed, the excuse he gave at the time was that it was a sunburn, but in reality his stomach was doing backflips having Yamaguchi that close to him. It was his favorite photo of him. If he could have it his way, it would be his lockscreen, proudly showing off just how gorgeous Yamaguchi is. But that would require him actually telling him how he feels about him, instead of feigning indifference. He wished he could tell him the truth. _‘You make me feel like the only person in the world when I’m with you. Every second I look at you is the best second of my life, and I would tell you every day how much you mean to me if it meant I could be with you forever, because I love you Yamaguchi Tadashi. I will always love you.’_


	2. Shut Up Yamaguchi

The days following were just as warm. Just like they had always done, they ate lunch together on the grass hill beside the gym. They sat cross-legged, facing each other silently eating their lunch. Tsukishima took a few snap peas in his chopsticks and set them in Yamaguchi’s bento without saying anything. He shared his lunch with him often. Yamaguchi looked up at him and smiled, with his mouth full of food, keeping his lips pressed together. Tsukishima loved that smile. It’s part of the reason he always shared his food, just to see him smile, more importantly being the reason he smiles. A light flush spread across the tops of Tsukishima’s cheeks.  
“You’re getting sunburnt, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi smiled. He knew that he wasn’t really sunburnt, but he would never let him know that. Tsukishima turned slightly to hide his face, but also admiring the view of Miyagi that he loved so much. Almost as much as he loved the view right beside him.  
When Yamaguchi finished his lunch, he wrapped it back up and placed it in his bag beside him, and laid down. The warm grass prickled the back of his neck. He shut his eyes, letting the sunlight shine across the face and breathed in the warm summer air. Tsukishima followed suit, laying down beside him, perhaps too close, but trying to stay calm as if his heart wasn’t pounding in his chest from just being _near_ him. The backs of their hands were just barely grazing each other every now and again, neither of them retreating.  
The only thing Yamaguchi could hear was his heart beating like it did before he had to serve in a game. _Maybe he could finally muster up the courage to say something, this would be the perfect time to do so._  
“This is nice,” He said. _Not exactly what he had in mind._ He kept his eyes trained on the perfectly blue sky above them. He heard the grass rustle as Tsukishima turned his head to look at him. “Uh- the- the weather.” he stumbled out, getting too nervous to actually confess anything. ”It’s… nice” He trailed off, feeling Tsukishima’s gaze on him made what felt like his entire face go red. Tsukishima let out a short laugh, like it was unintentional, compared to the condescending laughs he usually gave to other people. But this sounded genuine, there was emotion, not just any emotion, there was _love_ in his voice. Yamaguchi turned his head to face Tsukishima, followed by the rest of his body, using his hand under his head as a pillow. Tsukishima looked back at him. Even with how red his face was, he could see every freckle that spread across his cheeks and forehead.  
_You’re so beautiful, Tadashi._ Yamaguchi’s eyes widened at him. _Maybe that last thought wasn’t just to yourself._ Tsukishima realized that he had said that out loud, and Yamaguchi _heard_ him.  
“I- Tsu-” Yamaguchi could feel the heat on his face, unable to let out a coherent thought. He averted his eyes to the grass between them, only now realizing just how close together they were.  
“I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” Tsukishima’s face was completely red at this moment, matching Yamaguchi’s  
_Out loud_ Those were the words that actually surprised him in that sentence. _He meant it, he just didn’t mean to say it out loud, but he was thinking it_ Yamaguchi mustered the courage to look back up to Tsukishima.  
“Thanks- thank you” Yamaguchi stumbled. Tsukishima didn’t meet his gaze, still too embarrassed to look anywhere but the grass between them. Tsukishima was pulling at the grass with his fingers, twirling the blades around his index finger. Yamaguchi let out a steady breath as if to calm himself, then put his hand over Tsukishima’s, stopping it in its tracks. Tsukishima looked up at Yamaguchi, his eyebrows were furrowed with anxiety, and his lip was tucked in between his teeth, biting at the dry skin.  
“You’re going to make your lip bleed,” Tsukishima said, trying to ease the tension between them. Yamaguchi stopped biting at his lip and cleared his throat. The tone for lunch period ending started ringing through the school. Yamaguchi pulled his hand away from Tsukishima’s, pushed himself up, and slung his bag over his shoulder.  
“C’mon, we don’t want to be late for class” Yamaguchi had clearly taken the _‘let’s not talk about what just happened’_ route. Tsukishima got up from the grass as well and followed Yamaguchi all the way to their class.  
\------------------------------------  
Yamaguchi seemed completely normal during class and practice after school. Tsukishima however, could barely look him in the eye. He sat on the floor of the gym, his legs bent in front of him, sipping his water. He watched Yamaguchi grab his bag and walk out to get changed in the club room. He thought it best to wait until he left before he got dressed as well. He hated how awkward it seemed with him now. Like he’d just ruined their friendship. His only real friendship.  
After about 10 minutes he made his way to the club room figuring that Yamaguchi had left by now. Tsukishima got dressed in the empty room. _Why did you have to say that? Why do you have to ruin everything?_ Tsukishima’s vision was slowly being clouded by the tears forming in his eyes, feeling more lonely than he had ever been in his entire life. He’d always been alone, but when it was his choice, he wasn’t lonely. He just kept to himself. When he met Yamaguchi, he suddenly wasn’t alone anymore. He had this loyal friend with him all the time. But now? Now he doesn’t even have the one person that really mattered to him.  
Tsukishima wiped the tears from his eyes, trying to clear the flush from his face, and hide just how red and puffy his eyes were. When he thought he could at least pass for normal if he held his head down, he grabbed his bag and put on his headphones, and headed out of the club room and down the stairs.  
He didn’t expect Yamaguchi to be standing there, waiting for him, even though he always did. He looked nervous, forcing a smile like he was trying to pretend nothing had happened, or that it at least didn’t matter. Tsukishima took off his headphones, like he always did when they walked home, so he could hear Yamaguchi. For most of the walk, however, neither one of them said anything. They walked in silence, side by side.  
“Tsukki?” was the first thing either of them had said. Yamaguchi was looking down at the ground, he could feel his pulse pounding in his ears, working up the courage to say something to him. Tsukishima looked towards him waiting for what he had to say, hoping it wasn’t him about to reject him. “About before. At lunch?”  
_Shit. Here it comes. The rejection._  
“Did you really mean it?” Yamaguchi took a deep breath. “Like, do you really think about me like that? As more than-” He trailed off, hoping Tsukishima would interject, saving him from having to say it out loud. Tsukishima stopped walking, his eyes concentrated on the concrete below their feet. He bit his lip and looked up to Yamaguchi, meeting his eyes, which were full of anxiety.  
“I did. I- I- do. Think of you like that..” Even with how his words trailed off, Tsukishima still kept his eyes interlocked with Yamaguchi’s. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened, like a whole new world had just opened up for him. Tsukishima wasn’t expecting that response from him. He was expecting him to get weirded out, or be uncomfortable with his best friend seeing him like that. He certainly didn’t expect Yamaguchi to start smiling unabashed, or for him to step closer to him.  
Yamaguchi looked him straight in the eyes. “I like you Tsukki. I-” he took a deep breath. “I like you a lot, more than I should like my best friend.” Tsukishima could feel the heat creep up from his neck, covering his entire once pale face with a red flush. His lips parted slightly from shock. He wanted to say something _anything_ but he couldn’t find the strength to actually let it out. He wanted to tell him how he _really_ felt. But he stood there, dumbfounded, stammering like an idiot.  
“I’m sorry, Tsukki. I just-” Yamaguchi tore his eyes away from the blond in front of him, turning away from him to start walking again.  
“Shut up, Yamaguchi” Tsukishima finally breathed out. He pulled his shoulder so they were facing each other once more. “I- I feel the same way.” Yamaguchi felt a chill pass through his whole body hearing those words. The words he’d been longing to hear from the boy in front of him. Tsukishima pulled him closer, using his free hand to grasp Yamaguchi’s hand by his fingers, his index finger held his palm, and his thumb against his knuckles. The hand that was on his shoulder slid upwards against his neck, resting on his cheek.  
Tsukishima stepped closer to him, using his hand to coax Yamaguchi’s face upwards, he leaned in stopping before their lips actually touched, waiting for permission. Yamaguchi’s eyes closed slowly as he closed the gap between them. Tsukishima’s lips were soft and warm, just like he had dreamed about every time he looked at him. Yamaguchi’s eyes were still closed when Tsukishima pulled his lips away, resting his forehead against Yamaguchi’s. “I really like you. A lot” Tsukishima whispered to him.  
“Can I tell you something?” Tsukishima pulled his face away and nodded. “That was- that was my first kiss.”  
“Mine too. Was it… good?” His eyebrow raised with the last word, as if he was unsure with his choice of words. Yamaguchi nodded back at the tall blond. “Can I kiss you again?” He nodded once more, letting his eyes shut as Tsukishima leaned in again and pressed his lips to his. His lips parted slightly this time, silently asking for more. Yamaguchi obliged and parted his own lips, feeling Tsukishima’s tongue slip into his mouth. He didn’t know what he expected from this type of a kiss, but everything was so new, so unexplored, that he never wanted to stop kissing him. He felt Tsukishima’s large hand glide up to his waist, pulling him closer. They stood there, joined at the mouth for what seemed like forever, neither one of them wanting to back away from each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is actually Yams' birthday, I hope you liked this chapter is was fun to write. As always constructive criticism is always welcomed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I enjoy constructive criticism, so feel free to leave a comment. I will also update the tags and rating as I update.


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